Our One Year Old

It's official. I have a toddler. She is such a lovely toddler and I enjoy her so much. We have fun dancing together when no one else is watching and snuggling in the early mornings. We laugh and chase each other around the house. I love how she laughs, so uninhibited and carefree. Pure joy. You'll notice I especially love having her as my model.

Kelsey was quickly becoming a binki addict, so we started a routine where when she wakes up from a nap or in the morning, I say "put your binki in your crib!" She then throws her binki in there or walks over and puts it through the bars. Then she doesn't want it again until she gets tired.

She started saying "baby" but it sounds more like "ba-ba" or "day-dee." Eventually I'm sure she'll catch on and combine the two. Her baby(ies) is what she wants most lately. She has several of them now, ranging from small to bigger to bigger and heavier. Sometimes she'll wake up from a nap and immediately look around for her baby(ies) and desperately points or dives until it (they) is in her arms. She obviously understands her responsibility! Its so amazing how she has this motherly instinct and to think as a mom, I am raising up one who will raise the next generation. Now that is responsibility.

Sweet dreams, baby

Giving baby a kiss

Two babies... and daddy, perhaps?

Baby Millie must eat at the table too

Aren't babies so much fun?

She is starting to understand more and more commands and it's so fun to see what she can do. Just now on 8.31.08 I told her, "go wake up daddy from his nap." She ran over to our bedroom door and said "da-da" and pounded on the door. I know that will be used against me someday. Some of the other "commands" she understands are "sit down" and "come to mommy/give it to mommy."

EYE

Learning about Jesus
For Family Night, we try to show Kelsey pictures of Jesus and talk about how he loves her, etc. Here's a video of it -does she say Jesus? You be the judge.

Ready for Winter
I bought a changing table/dresser from a lady in the neighboring town who has two older daughters. When she saw Kelsey, she ran into her girls room and brought this out. She was like a marshmallow walking around the house. Two seconds after I took this picture she fell forward, flat on her face. I guess she couldn't get her arms out in front of her. I felt so bad. Tally says I'm putting our child's safety second and pictures first. Kels is definitely my number one priority when shooting, but sometimes I'm okay with a cry or two. It would likely happen with or without the camera!

On the train back home after a day in Zurich with a balloon from the toy store.

Lake Zurich with mom

Air Guitar

Picking grapes. She loves grapes and so it was no surprise when we walked past the neighbors house who grows grapes, that she started picking them off and eating them. It scared me at first - as if they could possibly be poisonous berries - but I tried one and they were quite good. Kelsey was in heaven.

First Car Wash

Daddy's big girl

Catching fairy dust

After church a few Sundays ago, Tal and I were vegging on the couch and Kelsey was running around the house. I guess I had forgotten my Sunday School treats in my church bag which I left on the floor. It got quiet for a bit and then Kelsey emerged with two half-eaten chocolate wafers, showing us the prize she had found. I didn't know whether to get mad or laugh so I took pictures.

Attitude. She just learned to shake her head NO and now she does it quite often. I find myself using that word more and more frequently so it's no surprise she's picked up the motion. Sometimes, she can be quite the stinker!

Steps and Stairs. She refuses to crawl up them because she never did like crawling. She also likes to take each stair with a different foot. No baby steps here.